Milford Zornes (1908-2008) captured California’s independent spirit in the bold shapes and vibrant hues of his paintings. Recognized as a leader in the California Scene Painters movement as well as the California Style watercolor movement, Zornes was both a prolific artist and an inspirational teacher.

Born in Oklahoma, Zornes came of age on California’s Central Coast. He attended Santa Maria Junior College before moving to the Bay Area to continue his studies. He worked with the WPA during the Great Depression and served in the US Army during World War II. Scenes of Nipomo, where his parents owned a home, are frequent in his early work. Zornes’s 1936 watercolor Old Barn in Nipomo is held by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

On November 17, an exhibition of California landscape paintings will open at the Dana Adobe Cultural Center, representing nearly 70 years of Zornes’s unique vision. The display is made possible by the generosity of Maria and Hal Baker, Milford’s daughter and son-in-law, and curated by Shirley Horacek and Mike Grabeck, with help from the DANA exhibit committee.